Going on dates
by AniZH
Summary: After having broken up, Beck finds Jade on dates with different boys. It makes him unbelievingly angry.


Welcome to this one shot which isn't fitting to any sort of holidays! So if you want something to read with a holiday mood – this is not it.  
I wrote this because of a message I've gotten by Sayyouwontletgo around... April. Thank you for the idea; I hope it's what you wanted. ;)  
As I know that not everyone likes it, I'm warning: This could fit into canon. It takes place during Beck and Jade's big break-up and the way they get back together is utterly and totally canon and didn't get changed by me.  
Now have fun reading! And have a great time getting into the new year!

* * *

He doesn't think he's seeing right when he's at the movies with Andre for a scary movie that came out recently. Out of their group of friends, they are the most into those kind of movies. Well, them and Jade of course.

Andre asked Jade if she would want to go with them some time this week, Friday most likely. He asked Beck before if it would be okay for him to invite Jade along, after she and Beck often also invited him along when they went to watch that kind of movie (they sometimes went again alone, because Jade loved to rewatch those movies and they then enjoyed their time alone in the cinema – but Andre always felt welcomed to come with them for one of the times).

Beck knows it could be awkward, even after them being broken up for two months now, but he still allowed Andre to ask Jade. He doesn't want Jade to loose anything due to their break-up. Well... He doesn't want her to loose more than necessary. Obviously, they both have lost a lot.

But her loosing everyone who would go to scary movies with her... That would be unfair.

He's glad though when Jade doesn't accept the invite to come. He isn't glad anymore when he realizes she did come after all – just not with him and Andre.

They planned to only come here on Friday but some time opens up the evening before, so they go then.

And there, when Beck and Andre are already sitting in some of the chairs with their popcorn and cokes, Beck sees Jade pass with some guy. First, he's sure he hasn't seen right. He has honestly seen her everywhere since they seperated, even when she wasn't there.

But this girl sits down two rows in front of him and Andre, to the right from them, and... Beck knows how Jade looks. He can recognize her from every angle. This is her.

But who's the guy with her? Beck hasn't recognized him as they passed. He doesn't recognize him by the back of his head. He still knows that he hates him.

Beck barely watches the movie. He's just so distracted by Jade and that guy. Not that they're doing much. Yes, that idiot lies his hand around Jade on top of the back of her seat at one point, but it's not like Jade leans into him at that like she always does... did with Beck.

Still. What is Jade even thinking, coming here with some guy? She knew Beck would be here. She knew he wanted to watch this movie with Andre. Well, not today, but... maybe, she found out.

She must've done it on purpose. She must've found out somewhere that Andre and Beck would come here today instead of tomorrow, and must've wanted to annoy Beck with this.

Well, goal achieved, Jade. He's annoyed now. Because this isn't right. You don't flaunt your new boy toy in front of you ex-boyfriend of two years after only two months of being broken up with him. That's awful and wrong!

Andre doesn't notice her at all or that Beck isn't watching the movie. When the movie ends, he already makes a comment about it and Beck answers unresponsive, but making sure Andre keeps seated and keeps his attention on him, Beck. This way, Beck can watch Jade and that guy leave. Neither of them look over to him but now, Beck recognizes the guy. It's a sales clerk from one of her favorite clothing stores. He can only be nineteen as best, can't be out of high school for that long.

Beck has been in that store with her often. He therefore knows this guy. And he knows that he has always looked at Jade in that way. Beck hasn't been bothered about it too much as he has been with Jade and everything. Now, he's bothered. Because this shouldn't happen.

But he won't say anything about it. He won't give Jade the satisfaction to know she got to him.

He does tell Andre that he doesn't feel like hanging out anymore after the movie but instead wants to get home. And there, he lies in his bed, imagining Jade with that guy.

He knows how Jade likes her dates and tries to calm himself down with that. She told him that he always tried to creep the guys out whom she dated. She liked making them feel uncomfortable, watching them cringe. She also tried that with him but it didn't make him uncomfortable at all.

She'll probably go back to that and this guy won't be able to stand it. It's fun for her, nothing serious.

But he also remembers her telling him that most boys still wanted to kiss her in the end, after those dates. That they still were weirdly attracted to her – and depending on how attracted she still was after that date or a second or third, she kissed them or even made out with them.

He wonders how it'll be with this guy. Will they end up making out or even more? Will they go on another date? Will Jade some day start letting him in, like she did with Beck? Not that he cares.

The next day in school, he starts a fight with Jade by calling her out on something, he doesn't even remember three minutes later.

.

.

.

It's a Saturday evening and Beck and Jade are broken up for two and a half months when he sees her at a sushi place.

He and Andre hang out once more. They also have invited all their other friends to come along but everyone else had other things to do. So, it was just the two of them and they usually don't eat sushi if it's just them because they aren't too into it, but today, they're both in the mood for it, so this is where they came.

And they're having a good time, until Jade comes inside with some guy Beck doesn't know.

Seriously?

She notices Beck too and he sees her face harden, but she doesn't say anything to the guy, just steers him to a table far away from Beck and Andre.

Andre also sees her this time around and awkwardly suggests: "Uhm... If you want to, I'm sure we can take the food with us and go somewhere else."

"No," Beck answers, trying to sound at ease though he isn't anymore. "It's fine."

It isn't. He's a good actor and manages to pretend it's fine, except for his constant glances in Jade's direction. Andre tries to distract him even more. It doesn't work.

At one point, Andre goes to the restroom and it's like everything in Beck has just waited for a moment where he's unwatched by his best friends, where there's nobody around who knows him except Jade.

He's up his feet and over at Jade's table, where she still sits with this guy that must be around their age, whom Beck truly has never met before. From whereever she knows this guy. He's definitely attracted to her. Beck has seen that, whenever he glanced over. Yes, sometimes he has looked creeped out a little, but he was always leaning in Jade's direction. And every now and then, Beck saw Jade smiling in a way, she isn't supposed to smile at anyone but him, Beck.

He doesn't know why it irks him so much. They aren't a couple anymore. They didn't work. It shouldn't bother him. But it does, so badly.

Now, he comes to a halt in front of their table. "Hey."

The idiot looks up confused, while Jade does darkly. "Hey," she still responds, but not encouraging at all.

"What're you doing here?" Beck can't help but ask.

Jade must know what that question's about. That he wants to know what she's doing here with this guy. She only answers though: "Eating."

Well, then he'll find out about this guy: "I'm Beck."

"Wes," he introduces himself and fleetingly glancing at Jade: "Are you her ex or something?"

He isn't a total idiot then. "I am."

"And you can leave now," Jade pointedly puts in.

Yeah, right. As if he would. "Why don't you leave?" It isn't a question or a suggestion. She should leave. Why did she come here anyway? To this place where they, Beck and her, have been on dates before as well? She should avoid coming here on a date with someone else, shouldn't she? That would be the decent thing to do, right?

"What?" Jade says with raised eyebrows. That's also not a question but a prompt to not dare repeating what he said before.

Doesn't she get it? "You can't just come here with a random guy." Obviously, that's to provoke him.

"I hope you're joking," Jade responds coldly.

"Well, I'm not," he says, his voice now rising a little in anger. "Does our relationship mean nothing to you?" To just ignore their shared memories to this place and go here with another guy?

"Fuck off, Beck!" she immediately throws at him and he starts: "Yeah, and you go fuck..."

He doesn't want to say that she should go fuck herself. He wants to be way harsher, wants to talk about this idiot sitting with her, but Jade interrupts him with a harsh tone of voice, standing up: "Beck. Out. Now."

Well, why not? They should take it outside. A few people are watching by now and Beck might be bothered about that. He doesn't like showing himself like this in front of other people – though this Wes guy almost makes him forget about that.

They leave the restaurant and outside, Jade tells him sharply: "You have no right to be like this."

"You would also freak out if it was me parading around with some girl," he shoots back.

Her jawline hardens, then: "Firstable, I'm not parading around! This isn't your favorite restaurant, not by far. I didn't expect you to be here."

She could've still left, as soon as she saw Beck there.

He opens his mouth to say that, but Jade notices and shuts him down. "No!" And she continues: "I also didn't freak out when you went on a date with Tori."

"You know that wasn't a date," Beck says because it wasn't.

Yes, Jade did find Beck and Tori together six weeks ago, on their opposite date. And yes, she didn't freak out but she also hasn't had a reason to as it wasn't a date, hence them calling it an opposite date.

Their almost kiss from only shortly after Jade and Beck's break-up was much worse, but Jade doesn't know about that. Beck also realized between that and their opposite date that he likes Tori as a sister and nothing more.

"Whatever," Jade says. "You can date whoever you want. And I expect to be allowed the same."

"Fine," he spits out and with that, Jade leaves him standing outside.

He needs another second before he follows her inside. Andre's sitting at their table again, looking uncomfortable. Jade sits back down on her own table where Wes is still waiting for her.

Beck tries to ignore them as he walks back to his table. Andre immediately suggests for them to go somewhere else and Beck agrees. Andre, who doesn't know why Beck and Jade got into talking but who assumes they fought once more and that Beck's just in a bad mood because of that. As if he isn't imagining Jade with that Wes guy for the rest of the night.

.

.

.

He next sees her with another guy when he gets himself a coffee almost three weeks later. Beck thinks he remembers him from the cinema, that he's a student working there part-time.

They sit together in the coffee shop, talking, clearly on a date. Beck has walked inside to get himself a coffee to go, but he stops when he sees them. What the hell is she doing?

He feels the impulse to walk up to her and start another fight but he pulls himself together, turns on the spot and leaves the coffee shop.

.

.

Another three weeks later, he's at the movies with Andre and Robbie. Andre and Robbie are gone to buy snacks while Beck stayed behind, not in the mood for the crowd in front of the counter.

And from the point in which he stands, he sees Jade, not standing too far away from him, also away from the crowd.

She's alone and he has to walk up to her. "Hey, Jade. What're you going here?"

Jade slowly turns to him and she may not make a face but Beck sees in her eyes that she hates seeing him here for some reason.

Finally, she says: "I'm on a date."

Beck can't believe it. "Seriously?" Another date? And again to this movie theater where they have been so often before. Where she knew she could walk into him.

"Yes," Jade answers sharply, not liking the tone of his voice. "What about you?"

As if the only reason for him being here, has to be that he's on a date as well. "Guy's night out," he answers instead.

For a moment, they just look at each other, then Jade makes sure: "So, you're gonna watch that new action movie?"

As action movies are usually what the three of them, Andre, Robbie and Beck, watch when they are out together. They try to do it regularly, to spend this time together.

"You won't?" Beck checks. The way she asked...

"Nope," she answers.

Well... He tries to remember if there's a horror movie running at the moment, when there's suddenly some guy approaching them.

"Hey, dude. Are you flirting with my girl?"

It immediately gets somewhat dark in front of Beck's eyes. "Your girl?"

The guy has enough sense to not put his arm around Jade as he comes to a halt next to her. His demeanor still shows some territory behaviour. Beck wants to punch him badly for some reason.

"Oh, you're her ex, aren't you?" the guy realizes.

Beck doesn't know how this guy knows that. Do they know each other? Should he recognize him too? He doesn't. But there's also so much anger inside of him that he still feels like he can barely see.

He's also lost for words, until that guy adds: "Well, get lost. She's mine now."

"She belongs to noone," Beck clearly states. Because she doesn't and never has.

"She certainly never belonged to you," the guy says. "I don't know why she ever chose you. You're not more than a pretty face and seriously, it's not that pretty."

It's bubbling inside of Beck. Something is running through him hot and cold. He doesn't feel like he has any words, but still spits out: "Like you're much better."

The guy smirks like the awful douche he is: "Than you? I'll have Jade tell you all about it tomorrow."

And suddenly, Beck's fist connects with that guy's cheek and he stumbles back and falls down with a noise of hurt.

It's almost happening in slow motion, and then there's Jade: "Beck, leave."

"I," he starts without knowing what he wants to say. But maybe, he wants to insult her. Maybe, he wants to blame her for this. Maybe, he wants to apologize.

"Now!" she interrupts either way and he does leave them.

Weirdly enough, nobody else seems to have noticed what happened. It's loud in the movie theater and the spot where it happened isn't the one people usually look to. As it also has only been one punch and nobody's screaming now, it doesn't draw a crowd at all.

Instead, Beck manages to walk to the hall where his movie will run without anyone looking after him. Andre and Robbie find him there shortly after and claim that they have been looking for him. They didn't witness a thing.

Beck doesn't care either way. Even when he already sits in the theater for a few minutes, the blood is violently pumping through him. And now, his hand also starts to hurt.

He has never hit anyone before and also hasn't done it all that strongly this time. Yes, it was an impulse, but he still was able to hold back, his body was still shy in its movements. He could've hit that douche much worse – and he kind of wishes he did, though his own hand already hurts like this. The way that asshole talked! The way he behaved! Beck's disugusted.

He couldn't tell what the movie is about if his life depended on it. He isn't even sure afterwards if he has seen one second of it. He's redoing the situation over and over in his head – punching that guy harder in his head every now and then.

He's surprised when the movie ends and leaves the movie hall with Andre and Robbie. Out there, close to the doors, Jade's waiting.

"Beck!" she calls out and he and the two others stop for a moment before stepping closer to her, making room for everyone else to leave.

"You two get lost," Jade tells Andre and Robbie though.

Beck doesn't look at them but knows they're looking at him unsure, checking. "Uhm," Andre even says.

But Jade promptly glares at both of them and quickly, they scurry off. Well, they might be friends, but Jade'll always be able to do that to them. Maybe even because they're friends and they therefore know Jade doesn't hand out empty threats.

Beck isn't afraid. Like he cares about anything.

"Explain," Jade finally says.

"What's to explain?" Beck asks coldly. Though he won't play dumb. He knows what this is about. "He insulted me and got what he was asking for."

Jade's face hardens, though her face was already hard before. "You're lucky he deicded not to press any charges."

Beck's suprised but he notices that it doesn't show in his voice, that sounds more desinterested than anything else. "Why won't he?"

"Because I threatened to do much worse to him and for good measures I paid him off. I will get that money back from you."

Why should she? He didn't ask her to do that. He didn't want her to do it.

"You should've just let him run to the police," he says.

Sarcastically, Jade spits out: "Yeah, your parents would be proud."

His parents would be furious. He probably would have to move out of the RV and back into the house again and wouldn't be allowed to leave that for half a year. If they wouldn't make him move to any of his relatives in Canada or alike because clearly, Jade or whoever here has a bad influence and he's acting out because of that.

"I don't care," he claims though maybe he's glad that his parents won't find out about this now, about him punching someone. Not to mention those consequences... Mainly, he would hate to see the disappointment in their eyes if they would act like this.

Of course, Jade knows better: "Tell yourself that. And tell yourself that you punched him because he insulted you. Asshole."

And with that, she leaves him standing there. He stays back angrier than before.

.

.

It isn't anger though. Not really. He realizes there're so many different feelings inside of him. Yes, anger too, but not only about that guy, but about Jade and about him. And then, there's also... absolute sadness, fear almost pushing to panic and... a whole lot more he can't define.

That guy has truly behaved like an asshole. The way he talked about Jade... He felt insulted in her place. Him having talked about her like she was an easy girl, like she was already his and like... they even would spend the night together. That was truly disgusting and insulting.

He knows he has to talk to Jade, explain and thank her, so he walks up to her in front of her locker before class on the next school day.

As she doesn't care about greetings too much, he doesn't bother with one, instead starts: "About Friday..."

Jade has noticed him before and now looks at him with slightly raised eyebrows. She isn't saying anything.

"I'm sorry," Beck says but her silence irritates him and it makes him add: "But I can't believe you would go on a date with a guy like that."

That isn't like her at all. She knows better than to allow people to treat her awfully. And that guy did insult her after all. Not directly, but she must've understood it the same way he did.

Jade's looks gets darker though. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"He was an asshole!"

"Just like you are right now," Jade shoots back. "I can't believe this is happening. After I was always too jealous or whatever?"

What has jealousy got to do with it?

Irritated, he responds: "I'm not jealous. But he was awful." He insulted both of them and deserved to be punched.

"And you think I didn't realize that myself the second he claimed I was 'his girl' after our seond date just started?" Jade spits out.

Of course she realized it. She probably even would've ended the date right after their talk if Beck wouldn't have punched him.

Now, Beck feels uncomfortable and shifts from one feet to the other, before he gently says: "You know I never thought you were too jealous."

No matter why he punched that guy. But he was always okay with her jealousy. Yes, they bickered and fought sometimes when she claimed he flirted around or alike, but her being so jealous showed him she cared about him and she loved him and he didn't have a problem with it at all.

"Yeah, right," Jade dryly says.

He doesn't believe it though: "You know it's true."

Jade snorts, but not amused, then she suddenly closes her locker and leaves without another word.

.

.

Well, okay, maybe he was jealous. Maybe he wasn't only irritated because he felt like Jade wasn't considerate of their relationship and behaved in a way that wasn't how you should behave after the end of a relationship. He was irritated because he hated seeing other guys with Jade. He hated imagining her laugh with them, kiss them, touch them... He gets sick just at the thought. Nobody should touch her except him.

This isn't a totally unusually feeling for him.

It's not like he has never been possessive over Jade. Heck, he has had moments like that in their relationship, when a guy behaved like he could get anywhere with Jade, when he wasn't scared off by her.

He never got actually close to punching someone. And now that? After they aren't even together anymore? Now he got this jealous? Well, because he knew that this time she was on a date with a guy. A guy wasn't just flirting with her, but maybe she was flirting back because she was free to do so. Maybe, she would go further with him.

He feels awful and thinks about talking to Jade again. But what should he say? How could he ever explain himself? After they have been broken up for four months... Can he really admit still being jealous? Should he? Wouldn't that throw them back those four months regarding getting over the break-up? Not that he ever started to get over it, he realizes. But Jade certainly did and he shouldn't keep her from it by telling her how much he hates seeing her with any guy, how much he hates knowing about her dating, how much he still wants to have her to himself because he goddamn loves her.

.

.

He knows he has to talk to her after Jade finds out about Tori having tried to make it possible for Beck to date Meredith. Beck never wanted to. Yes, he likes Meredith but that's about it.

It hits him hot and cold when Jade says she doesn't care about him dating Meredith, that he should go on a date with her. How can she say that? Does she mean it? Isn't she jealous even one tiny bit? That means she's over him, isn't she?

They have the next class together and Jade's one of the first people out of the room afterwards. Beck quickly follows her and questions, having caught up to her: "You're really okay with this?"

"With what?" Jade asks cooly. Beck's sure she asked that to rile him up. She has to know what he means, even if they had a class in between.

Quietly enough, so nobody else hears, he points out: "Me going on a date with Meredith?"

"I don't fucking care," Jade harshly responds, stopping, which makes him stop too. "This is what you always wanted, isn't it? The freedom to date every bimbo imagineable!"

Promptly, they're the center of attention, like they've been so often before. But what does Beck care? Why should he care if Jade doesn't? Though... His response... No, that's not for everybody to hear.

It's that second that he realizes that Jade didn't parade other guys around. She maintained a low profile. The sushi place and the coffee place where he found her with different guys aren't frequented by everyone else from school often – especially their friends. The movies are different, but there are also only so many places you can take a date to, Beck guesses.

And because he suddenly thinks Jade doesn't need the whole school to know this, to talk about it, he says with a low voice: "You may realize you're the one dating around, not me. I didn't want this."

Jade's voice drops too, but still remains fairly vicious: "You broke up with me."

"I didn't," Beck says, getting angry, his voice rising again. "You broke up with me!"

"Yeah, right," Jade spits out and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

She can't be serious! Is she denying that? He remembers that moment like it happened an hour ago. He has played it through his head a million times since it happened and it has followed him into his nightmares.

"You're the one that left," he clearly states.

She left the room that moment. She left Tori's house. She broke it off.

Jade narrows her eyes on him and coldly responds: "You are the one that didn't follow."

Well, no, he didn't, but... "Because you obviously weren't happy anymore."

Jade's eyes show that something inside of her fires up, that she gets really angry now. "You said you weren't happy!"

He did say that but that doesn't mean that she also wasn't happy. He knows she wasn't happy. He also knew back then.

But he won't say that because Jade always hates if anyone assumes they know how she's feeling – even if they're right. He mostly got away with it, but not when they're fighting.

That's why he instead explains his own unhappiness: "Because the fighting got too much." They weren't bickering anymore, but it became a big fight each and every time.

"That wasn't my fault," Jade shoots back.

"And I never said it was," Beck responds. "I just would've liked to talk about it."

He never meant to blame her. Did he back then? Did he act like it was her fault that they fought so much? It wasn't. It was both their fault. And Beck's sure that them getting unhappy about all the fighting, made them fight even more. They always have been each other's outlets for their anger and unhappiness.

Jade pulls her face together in disgust. "Always in front of others of course, so they could validate your view on it being all my fault."

What? Like... What?

"I..." he starts. "I..."

But what can he say in his defense? He hasn't realized he did that. No, he didn't always try to talk to her in front of others. But maybe, he mostly did that. Not on purpose, but... it might have happened. He didn't want to soil the rare moments alone they had in that time by trying to talk to her about the fighting. He has realized by now that the reason they only had rare moments alone were because of him. He hoped to avoid more fighting by being around other people, in hope it would distract each of them from the anger about and irriation with each other.

He only now realized how wrong all of that was. Of course, Jade misunderstood all of that. She had to.

And yes, she totally could've also tried to talk to him about it. If she would've told him about her feelings in a quiet moment (which is hard for her – but for him too), he would've listened and would've understood.

Still... Quietly, he realizes: "I should've followed you, Jade."

Even with some classmates still casually watching, he's sure nobody heard him but her.

It doesn't soften her. Instead, she coldly says: "You shouldn't have. This is obviously for the better."

"It isn't," he says and takes a step forward, closer to her to make sure he doesn't get overheard because this is nobody's business. "I know you still love me as much as I love you."

He feels it in the depth of his heart.

But of course he shouldn't have said that as Jade hates other people talking about how she feels.

"Because mighty Beck knows me so well, right," she says in a withering tone, then: "Leave me alone!"

And she walks away, leaving Beck behind feeling worse than ever.

.

.

The next break, he finds her again, hoping she cooled off a bit.

"Can we talk about this?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Fuck you, Beck," she spits out, always going for the insult.

"Great," he responds. "I actually think we could make this right." Making this right in the sense of getting back together.

He's so sure Jade wants that too. And now that he understood how she felt back then, that she never wanted to break up... She must've thought about their exchange by now too and must realize that Beck also never wanted to break up and that he felt just as lost as she did, that they just handled it so differently.

It doesn't have to be like this.

But maybe, Jade's over him after all. At least, she once more leaves him standing there without saying another word.

.

.

Fine. Then, he will go on that date with Meredith. To the Full Moon Jam, so Jade will see them. If she still loves Beck as much as he does her, she'll have to show some sort of reaction, right?

And if she doesn't... Maybe, he's still going to have fun. Meredith's a great girl. Maybe, if Jade doesn't love him anymore, this will also help him get over her.

The thing is that he long made Jade think after all. She knew she was still in love with him anyway. She missed him like crazy.

She has tried her best to distract herself from that pain of losing him these last months, has dated around, has tried to prove to herself that she doesn't need Beck to have a good time.

She wasn't on the search for another boyfriend. She was on the search for something, anything, to forget Beck for even one second.

It didn't work. That was the truth. And not only because he walked in on a few dates.

It was only when he punched Jordan that Jade realized that Beck was still in love with her. She didn't think so before. She thought he broke up with her because he didn't love her anymore. That he wasn't happy with her anymore because he didn't love her. But he still does.

She thought he called her out in that sushi place because they were a couple for two years and it were only two and a half months since their break-up. She thought he didn't think of it as decent for her to go to a place where they went on dates before, after such a long relationship and such a short time after. She thought everyone else would find that uncool and as Beck always took into consideration what everybody else thinks, no matter how he feels himself... She's now sure he thought he acted out of the same reasons.

She got furious at him claiming he only punched Jordan because he insulted him. Obviously he didn't. Obviously he got jealous instantly and Jordan pretty much insulting her was the last drop. Because he loves her.

She doesn't care for him going on a date with Meredith. She pushed him there. It's fine. It doesn't change anything about his feelings, she knows. Just like he knows that she still loves him.

And she might hate him acting like he knows her so well... But he does know her. And maybe, it's time to tell him that. She knows he will understand.


End file.
